Iran, US, Russia, China & Taiwan: Tensions Rise on Every Front

[00:00:00]Right now, these nations are not just threatening one another. They are positioning. The United States and Iran are exchanging direct attacks. Russia and Ukraine are unleashing massive waves of missiles and drones. And China is tightening its pressure around Taiwan, while Russian and Chinese warships are conducting live fire exercises near Japan. And here's the thing, you guys.

[00:00:27]One miscalculation, one strike in the wrong place, one nation crossing the line in these separate flash points will collide. So the question isn't is the world a more dangerous place. The question is how long before one of these nations crosses a line that they cannot take back. So I'd like to take you to this first report written by Michael Schneider of the most important news. He goes on to say, "It now appears that we could soon witness a very serious escalation in the Middle East. President Trump is strongly considering full-scale military operations against Iran that would be far more intense and extensive than we have seen over the past couple of weeks.

[00:01:13]Since fighting has resumed, the US has primarily been hitting targets in southern Iran along the Persian Gulf and the strait. This obviously hasn't moved the Iranians in the right direction at all. Instead, the Iranians have escalated matters by targeting civilian infrastructure. And now the strait has been closed by the Houthis. So now Trump has a decision to make. He could back down and try more diplomacy or he could take the war against Iran to the next level. According to Fox News, Trump is expected to make the decision on whether or not to expand military operations against Iran soon, but a final decision has not been made. But preparations for an expanded campaign are already well underway. In fact, more US aircraft are being deployed to the region in anticipation of the president's decision. According to Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, US Central Command would likely increase its military posture by deploying additional fighter aircraft, including F-16s and F-35s, as well as KC135 aerial refueling tankers in preparation for any decision by Trump to widen the campaign. The official also confirmed reports of additional US military aircraft moving into the Middle East, describing the deployments as preparing while military planners await a final decision from the president.

[00:02:31]Michael goes on to say that in a previous article, I discussed the fact that dozens of US refueling aircraft have been making their way to Israel. If Trump does pull the trigger, the Israelis are ready to go, too. An Israeli official just told i24 News that operational plans have been fully finalized. So, if the US and Israel start bombing the living daylights out of Iran, that will start a chain of events that could be hard to stop. For now, the US continues to strike targets across southern Iran. In fact, US Central Command just announced that bombing has begun for a 10th consecutive night. Needless to say, the Iranians will retaliate. During the past couple of nights, they have targeted desalination facilities, and this represents a very serious escalation.

[00:03:19]Tens of millions of people in the Gulf rely on desalination for their drinking water. There are an estimated 5,000 plants scattered around the Middle East.

[00:03:30]And the vast majority of the Gulf's desalinated water comes from just 56 of these facilities. In Q8, roughly 90% of the country's drinking water comes from these plants. Bon which said one of its plants was struck by Iran in March but not significantly damaged but it similarly is dependent on these facilities for its drinking water. In Qatar this number surges to 99% meaning desalination plants are critical for keeping its population supplied with drinking water. But he goes on to say that the Iranians have also been hitting US military bases quite hard. And CBS News is reporting that close to a hundred US service members have been injured in recent days. And it's also been reported that in addition to those that have been injured, US Central Command has acknowledged that three service members were killed over the weekend. President Trump is very angry about this and he is pledging that the Iranians will pay for what they have done many times over. He wrote on his truth social, "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over." This directive has been passed on to the Secretary of War, Pete Hedgeth, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Kaine, and every leader in the military. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Iranian missiles have gotten faster and deadlier, and everyone is wondering how this suddenly occurred. Are the Russians or the Chinese helping Iran? Just a little while ago, Trump threatened to slap 50% tariffs on any nation that is supplying military weapons to Iran. Is he convinced that someone is supplying advanced weapons to Iran in order for him to make such a statement? What is he not telling us? It certainly would not be a surprise if the Russians are helping Iran because we have been guiding hundreds of Ukrainian drones to their targets deep inside Russian territory. Just in the last couple of days being reported that Moscow has been blited by Ukraine's biggest attack of the war so far with dramatic clips showing 400 drones raining blank on Putin's doorstep. Apparently, a critical oil depot and a key logistics hub were among the targets. Michael goes on to say that we should not be helping the Ukrainians to do this because the Russians consider us to be responsible for these attacks and that puts us dangerously close to a shooting war with Russia. If we keep going down the road that we are currently on, we could eventually find ourselves fighting multiple wars simultaneously. One Iranian official is claiming that the government fully expects the US to conduct a ground invasion of Iran. He went on to say that the Americans are planning an invasion. I'm not saying it will necessarily happen in the next few days, but they have plans for an invasion. Shockingly, that same official says that the Iranians actually want a ground invasion to happen because they believe that they would emerge victorious. No matter what happens, they are convinced, Michael says, that they will be victorious in the end, and their version of their faith will conquer the globe. If they die, they believe that they will be rewarded in the afterlife as martyrs. If they live, they feel like they have been given the privilege of carrying on the fight. Now, we are locked in a brutal war with these guys, and there is no end in sight. Now, the Zero Hedge is reporting that the Iranian strikes on US bases in Jordan were aided by accurate intel from locals. According to the IRGC, with their most recent retaliatory operations against the United States on Monday, US military assets in Jordan were carried out with cooperation and accurate information provided by the Jordanian people. Now, this is coming from Iran. Honorable people and troops of Jordan, thank you for your sincere cooperation and accurate information that led to the precise targeting of US forces and the destruction of 20 shelters where US forces were stationed at the base. The IRGC added that those operations resulted in the killing of dozens of US forces. I believe right now we are entering a very dangerous phase of this war. There's no other way to say it, you guys, because President Trump is looking to expand his military campaign in Iran.

[00:08:00]Iran continues to retaliate. US service members are dying. The stakes are rising quickly. So, the question isn't just how far will this war go, but how will it affect each and every one of us? Will President Trump send in ground troops?

[00:08:19]What happens to the oil and gasoline prices if shipping through the straight is disrupted even more? Because right now oil is over $90 a barrel gasoline, the national average for gasoline is over $4 a gallon. And finally, how long before this war reaches US shores? These are very real concerns that Americans are thinking and asking and is all we can do right now you guys is watch very closely and pray because there's no denying that tensions in the Middle East has skyrocketed. But it's not just in the Middle East. I'm getting reports that apparently Russia is looking to start a new military campaign in the Baltics. And it doesn't end there. Saudi Arabia is this close to getting a nuclear weapon. And what is this business about the mayor in New York that wants to arrest Netanyahu when he comes to town? Those reports and more.

[00:09:21]Trump administration has tentatively agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without the standard international nuclear non-prololiferation safeguards according to CNN. So what's delaying the deal?

[00:09:34]Well, a proposed nuclear agreement under which the US would support Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program is still awaiting President Trump's signature, even though negotiations between Washington and Saudi Arabia were completed in October of 2025. According to sources familiar with the matter, one reason for the delay is the ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump has said that the war was launched to prevent Iran from using enriched uranium to develop nuclear weapons. So, what does the White House have to say right now? Well, the White House declined to comment on the agreement and instead referred CNN to remarks made by the Energy Secretary Chris Wright in October 2025. Wright said at the time that, "We've come together on a deal for civil nuclear cooperation. Together with bilateral safeguard agreements, we want to grow our partnership, bring American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, and keep a firm commitment to nonprololiferation."

[00:10:31]Very very interesting. So Saudi Arabia could potentially have nuclear weapons one day. I wonder how the other nations will react to that in the Middle East.

[00:10:41]Meanwhile, speaking of the Middle East and New York City, the New York Mayor Mandami has said he is exploring the legal possibility of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to the city for the UN General Assembly in September. The International Criminal Court or the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November of 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mandami, who has characterized Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide, vowed during his mayoral campaign last year to arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York City. During an episode of the New York Times, the interview podcast that aired on Saturday, the mayor was asked whether he still intended to fulfill that pledge.

[00:11:27]And he said, "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague." Referring to the seat of the ICC where those accused of major international crimes are tried. He went on to say that he's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court and that what you will find is that in an opinion that is held by many purely because what his actions have wrought over these last many years.

[00:11:51]Now, accredited representatives of member states are generally granted diplomatic immunity while on official UN visits, but the mayor said he was in an active conversation with the city's law department about potential legal options. He said, "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do. But we won't be writing our own laws to that end." Now, what did Netanyahu have to say about this? Well, he said in a recent radio interview that he was not concerned about the mayor's threats to detain him, accusing the New York mayor of championing Hamas and hating America. Moscow has repeatedly accused Estonia, Lativia, and Lithuania of trying to work with Ukraine to launch drone strikes at Russia, though they all deny this. During a press briefing in May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called this a concerning development, adding that you always worry about escalation. He said, "We understand these countries feel threatened by it, obviously, for obvious reasons. So, it's a concerning thing because you always worry that something like that can spark into something bigger and that's always a possibility. Rubio said that the US is watching it carefully and engaged with NATO on the issue. He also added that we're concerned about it because we don't want it to lead to some broader conflict that can really lead to something far worse. Now, just mere days ago, unusual Russian military movements were spotted near Estonia, sparking fresh fears that Putin could expand his campaign. The defense minister said that the Kremlin conducted live fire exercises for the first time near his country's border with Russia on July 9th. He said that Moscow forces carried out the dangerous war games on Lake Peeis, which straddles the border between the two countries without notifying Estonian authorities. He also called the Russian operation unusual and certainly not routine. Now with that said, Russia has also conducted more exercises with China. Japan is reporting increased Chinese and Russian naval activity in the Western Pacific. And according to Japan's joint staff, a Chinese guided missile destroyer conducted live fire exercises southwest of Japan's remote island on July 19th while operating near additional Chinese vessels and a Russian frigot. Japan said this was the first time it had publicly disclosed a Chinese live fire drill inside waters Tokyo considers part of its exclusive economic zone. However, Japanese officials acknowledged that the exercises did not violate international law, and Beijing disputes Japan's maritime claim around the island. But the incident is significant because China and Russia have increased their joint naval and aerial operations around Japan, leading Tokyo to strengthen their defenses and even surveillance. But what else has Russia been up to? Well, Russia and North Korea are continuing to deepen their military and strategic partnership. North Korea's foreign minister met with Putin and his Russian foreign minister Sergy Larav in Moscow where the two sides discuss implementing their defense treaty and expanding future cooperation. As of right now, no new troop deployment or weapons packages were announced, but the talks show that Moscow and North Korea's military relationship remains strong and active.

[00:15:22]We are hearing more and more about Russia and China, Russia and North Korea, and Moscow and Beijing supporting Iran. I think the larger picture is becoming harder to ignore. They are definitely growing a stronger relationship. these nations strategically, economically, and militarily. And their main adversary, you guys, is who? The West. So definitely very interesting, and we should probably keep an eye on that. But we cannot mention China without mentioning Taiwan. It's being reported that apparently China is sending in military vessels near Taiwan on a daily basis. And so we have to ask the question, is this practice foreign invasion? Taiwan is reporting a sharp increase in Chinese government vessel activity around their island. According to Taiwan's Coast Guard data, 55 Chinese Coast Guard and research vessel sightings were recorded in June, an increase of 83% from May and more than double the number recorded during the same month last year. China's military also continues to operate aircraft and naval vessels around Taiwan on almost a daily basis. Taiwan's officials have warned that China's growing Coast Guard presence off the island's coast could be intended to test that might one day be used to disrupt Taiwan's supply routes during a blockade. Some of the vessels involved were former Chinese naval destroyers that were converted for Coast Guard use, giving them greater range and of course military capabilities. In addition to that, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have also reportedly questioned merchant ships about their movements.

[00:17:11]Taiwan has instructed commercial vessels to continue navigating as business as usual and basically ignore the Chinese demands. But in response to the growing pressure that Taiwan is feeling right now, they are preparing joint Navy and Coast Guard exercises designed to protect their shipping routes. Taiwan will also conduct expanded civil defense drills coming up here in August, including temporary reductions in mobile internet speeds to simulate communications problems during a blockade, cyber attack, natural disaster, or of course an invasion. So why does all of this matter? Well, China has not begun a blockade, but Taiwan believes that Beijing may be using Coast Guard operations and legal claims to gradually establish greater presence around their island. This, of course, raises a risk of confrontation, miscalculation, misunderstanding, and future interference with the shipping routes Taiwan would depend upon during a crisis situation. So, I think it's pretty clear that the world is not calming down. In fact, the opposite is happening. Nations are lining up. Tensions are rising in more than one place in the world. And if the United States is not careful, she could see herself in more than one conflict at the same time. But what did Jesus tell us in the book of John chapter 14? He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. The fact of the matter is Jesus is coming soon. And everything that we're watching right now are the signs that he promised we would see before his return.

[00:19:13]But those are your headlines for today.

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[00:19:29]Thank you everybody for watching and until next time, God bless and stay